Chapter VII.

Inferences from the whole — Some objections answered.

Three things
do offer themselves unto consideration from what hath been discoursed:—

1. What is the ground and reason why the meanest and most
unlearned sort of believers do assent unto this truth, that the
Scriptures are the word of God, with no less firmness, certainty, and
assurance of mind, than do the wisest and most learned of them;
yea, ofttimes the faith of the former sort herein is of the best growth and
firmest consistency against oppositions and temptations. Now, no
assent of the mind can be accompanied with any more assurance than
the evidence whose, effect it is, and which it is resolved into,
will afford; nor doth any evidence of truth beget an assent unto it in the
mind but as it is apprehended and understood. Wherefore, the evidence of
this truth, wherein soever it consists, must be that which is perceived,
apprehended, and understood, by the meanest and most unlearned sort of true
believers; for, as was said, they do no less firmly assent and adhere unto
it than the wisest and most learned of them. It cannot, therefore, consist
in such subtile and learned arguments, whose sense they cannot understand
or comprehend. But the things we have pleaded are of another nature: for
those characters of divine wisdom, goodness, holiness, grace, and
sovereign authority, which are implanted in the Scripture by the Holy
Ghost, are as legible unto the faith of the meanest as of the most learned
believer; and they also are no less capable of an experimental
understanding of the divine power and efficacy of the Scripture,
in all its spiritual operations, than those who are more wise and skilful
in discerning the force of external arguments and motives of
credibility. It must, therefore, of necessity be granted, that the formal
reason of faith consists in those things whereof the evidence is equally
obvious unto all sorts of believers.

2. Whence it is that the assent of faith, whereby we
believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, is usually affirmed to be
accompanied 101with more assurance than any assent which
is the effect of science upon the most demonstrative principles. They who
affirm this do not consider faith as it is in this or that individual
person, or in all that do sincerely believe, but in its own nature and
essence, and what it is meet and able to produce. And the schoolmen do
distinguish between a certainty or assurance of evidence
and an assurance of adherence. In the latter, they say, the
certainty of faith doth exceed that of science; but it is less in
respect of the former. But it is not easily to be conceived how the
certainty of adherence should exceed the certainty of evidence, with
respect unto any object whatsoever. That which seems to render a
difference in this case is, that the evidence which we have in things
scientifical is speculative, and affects the mind only; but the evidence
which we have by faith effectually worketh on the will also, because of the
goodness and excellency of the things that are believed. And hence it is
that the whole soul doth more firmly adhere unto the objects of faith upon
that evidence which it hath of them, than unto other things whereof it hath
clearer evidence, wherein the will and affections are little or not at all
concerned. And Bonaventure giveth a reason of no small weight why faith is
more certain than science, not with the certainty of speculation, but of
adherence: “Quoniam fideles Christiani, nec
argumentis, nec tormentis, nec blandimentis adduci possunt, vel inclinari,
ut veritatem quam credunt vel ore tenus negent; quod nemo peritus alicujus
scientiæ faceret, si acerrimis tormentis cogeretur scientiam suam de
conclusione aliqua geometrica vel arithmetica retractare. Stultus enim et
ridiculus esset geometra, qui pro sua scientia in controversiis geometricis
mortem auderet subire, nisi in quantum dictat fides, non esse
mentiendum.” And whatever may be said of this distinction, I think
it cannot modestly be denied that there is a greater assurance in faith
than is in any scientifical conclusions, until as many good and wise men
will part with all their worldly concernments and their lives, by the most
exquisite tortures, in the confirmation of any truth which they have
received, merely on the ground of reason acting in human sciences, as have
so done on the certainty which they had by faith that the Scripture is a
divine revelation: for in bearing testimony hereunto have innumerable
multitudes of the best, the holiest, and the wisest men that ever were in
the world, cheerfully and joyfully sacrificed all their temporal and
adventured all their eternal concernments; for they did it under a full
satisfaction that in parting with all temporary things, they should be
eternally blessed or eternally miserable, according as their persuasion in
faith proved true or false. Wherefore, unto the firmitude and constancy
which we have in the assurance of faith, three things do concur:—

102(1.) That this ability of assent upon
testimony is the highest and most noble power or faculty of our
rational souls; and, therefore, where it hath the highest evidence whereof
it is capable, — which it hath in the testimony of God, — it giveth us the
highest certainty or assurance whereof in this world we are capable.

(2.) Unto the assent of divine faith there is required an
especial internal operation of the Holy Ghost. This rendereth it
of another nature than any mere natural act and operation of our minds;
and, therefore, if the assurance of it may not properly be said to exceed
the assurance of science in degree, it is only because it is of a more
excellent kind, and so is not capable of comparison unto it as to
degrees.

(3.) That the revelation which God makes of himself, his
mind and will, by his word, is more excellent, and accompanied
with greater evidence of his infinitely glorious properties, —
wherein alone the mind can find absolute rest and satisfaction (which is
its assurance), — than any other discovery of truth, of what sort soever,
is capable of; neither is the assurance of the mind absolutely
perfect in any thing beneath the enjoyment of God. Wherefore, the
soul by faith making the nearest approaches whereof in this life it is
capable unto the eternal spring of being, truth, and goodness, it hath the
highest rest, satisfaction, and assurance therein, that in this life it can
attain unto.

3. It followeth from hence that those that would deny
either of these two things, or would so separate between them as to exclude
the necessity of either unto the duty of believing, — namely, the
internal work of the Holy Spirit on the minds of men, enabling
them to believe, and the external work of the same Holy Spirit,
giving evidence in and by the Scripture unto its own divine original, — do
endeavour to expel all true divine faith out of the world, and to
substitute a probable persuasion in the room thereof.

For a close unto this discourse, which hath now been drawn
forth unto a greater length than was at first intended, I shall consider
some objections that are usually pleaded in opposition unto the truth
asserted and vindicated:—

1. It is, therefore, objected, in the first place, “That
the plea hitherto insisted on cannot be managed without great disadvantage
to Christian religion; for if we take away the rational grounds on
which we believe the doctrine of Christ to be true and divine, and the
whole evidence of the truth of it be laid on things not only derided by men
of atheistical spirits, but in themselves such as cannot be
discerned by any but such as do believe, on what grounds can we
proceed to convince an unbeliever?”

Ans. 1. By the way, it is one thing to prove and
believe the doctrine of Christ to be true and divine; another, to prove and
believe 103the Scripture to be given by inspiration of God, or
the divine authority of the Scripture, which alone was proposed unto
consideration. A doctrine true and divine may be written in and proposed
unto us by writings that were not divinely and infallibly
inspired; and so might the doctrine of Christ have been, but not
without the unspeakable disadvantage of the church. And there are sundry
arguments which forcibly and effectually prove the doctrine of Christ to
have been true and divine, which are not of any efficacy to prove
the divine authority of the Scriptures; though, on the other hand, whatever
doth prove the divine authority of the Scriptures doth equally prove the
divine truth of the doctrine of Christ.

2. There are two ways of convincing unbelievers, —
the one insisted on by the apostles and their followers, the other
by some learned men since their days. The way principally
insisted on by the apostles was, by preaching the word itself unto
them in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit; by the power whereof,
manifesting the authority of God in it, they were convinced, and falling
down acknowledged God to be in it of a truth, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5, xiv. 24,
25. It is likely that in this their proposal of the gospel, the
doctrine and truths contained in it, unto unbelievers, those of
atheistical spirits would both deride them and it; and so, indeed,
it came to pass, many esteeming themselves to be babblers
and their doctrine to be arrant folly. But yet they desisted not
from pursuing their work in the same way; whereunto God gave success. The
other way is, to prove unto unbelievers that the Scripture is
true and divine by rational arguments; wherein some learned persons
have laboured, especially in these last ages, to very good purpose. And
certainly their labours are greatly to be commended, whilst they attend
unto these rules:— (1.) That they produce no arguments but such as are
cogent, and not liable unto just exceptions; for if, to manifest their own
skill or learning, they plead such reasons as are capable of an answer and
solution, they exceedingly prejudice the truth, by subjecting it unto
dubious disputations, whereas in itself it is clear, firm, and
sacred. (2.) That they do not pretend their rational grounds and arguments
to be the sole foundation that faith hath to rest upon, or which it is
resolved into; for this were the ready way to set up an opinion, instead of
faith supernatural and diving Accept but of these two limitations, and it
is acknowledged that the rational grounds and arguments intended may be
rationally pleaded, and ought so to be, unto the conviction of gainsayers;
for no man doth so plead the self-evidencing power of the
Scripture as to deny that the use of other external motives and arguments
is necessary to stop the mouths of atheists, as also unto the
farther establishment of them who do believe. These things are
subordinate, and no way inconsistent.

104The truth is, if we will attend unto our own
and the experience of the whole church of God, the way whereby we come to
believe the Scripture to be the word of God ordinarily is this,
and no other. God having first given his word as the foundation
of our faith and obedience, hath appointed the ministry of men, at
first extraordinary, afterward ordinary, to propose unto us the doctrines,
truths, precepts, promises, and threatenings contained therein. Together
with this proposition of them, they are appointed to declare that these
things are not from themselves, nor of their own
invention, 2 Tim.
iii. 14–17. And this is done variously. Unto some the word of
God in this ministry thus comes, or is thus proposed, preached, or
declared, whilst they are in a condition not only utterly unacquainted with
the mysteries of it, but filled with contrary apprehensions, and
consequently prejudiced against it. Thus it came of old unto the pagan
world, and must do so unto such persons and nations as are yet in the
same state with them. Unto these the first preachers of the gospel did not
produce the book of the Scriptures, and tell them that it was the
word of God, and that it would evidence itself unto them so to be, for this
had been to despise the wisdom and authority of God in their own ministry;
but they preached the doctrines of it unto them, grounding themselves on
the divine revelation contained therein. And this proposition of the truth
or preaching of the gospel was not left of God to work itself into
the reason of men by the suitableness of it thereunto; but being his own
institution for their illumination and conversion, he accompanied
it with divine power, and made it effectual unto the ends designed,
Rom. i. 16. And the event hereof
among mankind was, that by some this new doctrine was
derided and scorned; by others, whose hearts God opened to
attend unto it, it was embraced and submitted unto. Among those who,
after the propagation of the gospel, are born, as they say, within the
pale of the church, the same doctrine is variously instilled into
persons, according unto the several duties and concerns of others to
instruct them. Principally, the ministry of the word is ordained
of God unto that end, whereon the church is the pillar and ground of truth.
Those of both sorts unto whom the doctrine mentioned is preached or
proposed are directed unto the Scriptures as the sacred repository thereof;
for they are told that these things come by revelation from God,
and that that revelation is contained in the Bible, which is his
word. Upon this proposal, with inquiry into it and consideration of it,
God co-operating by his Spirit, there is such evidence of its divine
original communicated unto their minds through its power and efficacy, with
the characters of divine wisdom and holiness implanted on it, which they
are now enabled to discern, that they believe it and rest in it as the
immediate word of God. Thus was it in the 105case of the woman
of Samaria and the inhabitants of Sychar with respect unto their faith in
Christ Jesus, John iv. 42. This is the way whereby
men ordinarily are brought to believe the word of God, Rom. x.
14, 15, 17; and that neither by external arguments nor motives,
which no one soul was ever converted unto God by, nor by any mere naked
proposal and offer of the book unto them, nor by miracles, nor by immediate
revelation or private subjective testimony of the Spirit; nor is their
faith a persuasion of mind that they can give no reason of, but only that
they are so persuaded.

2. But it will be yet farther objected, “That if there be
such clear evidence in the thing itself, that is, in the divine original
and authority of the Scriptures, that none who freely use their reason can
deny it, then it lies either in the naked proposal of the thing unto the
understanding, — and if so, then every one that assents unto this
proposition, ‘That the whole is greater than the part,’ must
likewise assent unto this, ‘That the Scripture is the word of God,’ — or
the evidence must not lie in the naked proposal, but in the efficacy of the
Spirit of God in the minds of them unto whom it is proposed.”

Ans. 1. I know no divine, ancient or modern, popish
or protestant, who doth not assert that there is a work of the Holy Ghost
on the minds of men necessary unto a due belief of the Scripture to be the
word of God; and the consideration hereof ought not by any Christian to be
excluded. But they say not that this is the objective testimony or
evidence on which we believe the Scripture to be the word of God,
concerning which alone is our inquiry.

2. We do not dispute how far or by what means this
proposition, “The Scripture is the word of God,” may be evidenced
merely unto our reason, but unto our understanding as capable of giving an
assent upon testimony. It is not said that this is a first principle of
reason, though it be of faith, nor that it is capable of a mathematical
demonstration. That the whole is greater than the part is
self-evident unto our reason upon its first proposal, but such none
pretends to be in the Scripture, because it is a subject not capable of it;
nor do those who deny the self-evidence of the Scripture pretend by their
arguments for its divine authority to give such an evidence of it unto
reason as is in first principles or mathematical demonstrations,
but content themselves with that which they call a “moral certainty.” But
it is by faith we are obliged to receive the truth of this proposition,
which respects the power of our minds to assent unto truth upon testimony,
infallibly on that which is infallible. And hereunto it evidenceth its own
truth, not with the same, but with an evidence and certainty of a higher
nature and nobler kind than that of the strictest demonstration in
things natural or the most forcible argument in things moral.

1063. It will be objected, “That if this be so,
then none can be obliged to receive the Scripture as the word of
God who hath not faith, and none have faith but those in whom it is wrought
by the Spirit of God, and thereinto all will be resolved at last.”

Ans. 1. Indeed there is no room for this objection,
for the whole work of the Spirit is pleaded only as he is the efficient
cause of believing, and not the objective, or reason why we
do believe. But, —

2. We must not be ashamed to resolve all we do well
spiritually, and in obedience to the command of God, into the efficacious
operation of the Holy Ghost in us, unless we intend to be ashamed of the
gospel. But this still makes his internal operation to be the
efficient, and not his internal testimony to be the
formal, reason of our faith.

3. It is another question, whether all obligation unto duty
is and must be proportionate unto our own strength without divine
assistance; which we deny, and affirm that we are obliged unto many things
by virtue of God’s command which we have no power to answer but by
virtue of his grace.

4. Where the proposal of the Scripture is made in the way
before described, those unto whom it is proposed are obliged to receive it
as the word of God, upon the evidence which it gives of itself so to be;
yes, every real, true, divine revelation made unto men, or every proposal
of the Scripture by divine providence, hath that evidence of its being from
God accompanying it as is sufficient to oblige them, unto whom it
was made to believe it, on pain of his displeasure. If this were
otherwise, then either were God obliged to confirm every particular divine
revelation with a miracle (which, as to its obligation unto believing,
wants not its difficulty), which he did not, as in many of the prophets,
nor doth at this day at the first proposal of the gospel to the heathen; or
else, when he requires faith and obedience in such ways as in his wisdom he
judgeth meet, — that is, in the ordinary ministry of the word, — they are
not obliged thereby, nor is it their sin to refuse a compliance with his
will.

5. If this difficulty can be no otherwise avoided but by
affirming that the faith which God requires of us with respect unto his
word is nothing but a natural assent unto it upon rational
arguments and considerations, which we have an ability for, without any
spiritual aid of the Holy Ghost, or respect unto his testimony, as before
described, — which overthrows all faith, especially that which is divine, —
I shall rather ten thousand times allow of all the just consequences that
can follow on the supposition mentioned than admit of this relief. But of
those consequences this is none, that any unto whom the Scripture is
proposed are exempted from an obligation unto believing.

107In like manner, there is no difficulty in the
usual objection which respects particular books of the Scripture, why we
receive them as canonical and reject others; as, namely, the
Book of Proverbs, and not of Wisdom, of Ecclesiastes, and not
Ecclesiasticus: for, —

1. As to the books of the Old Testament, we have the canon
of them given us in the New, where it is affirmed that unto the church
of the Jews were committed the oracles of God; which both confirms all
that we receive and excludes all that we exclude. And unto the New there
are no pretenders, nor ever were, to the least exercise of the faith of
any.

2. All books whatever that have either themselves pretended
unto a divine original, or have been pleaded by others to be of that
extract, have been, and may be from themselves, without farther help,
evicted of falsehood in that pretence. They have all of them hitherto, in
matter or manner, in plain confessions or other sufficient evidence,
manifested themselves to be of a human original. And much danger is not to
be feared from any that for the future shall be set forth with the same
pretence.

3. We are not bound to refuse the ministry of the
church, or the advantages of providence whereby the Scripture is
brought unto us, with the testimonies which, either directly or
collaterally, any one part of it gives unto another. Although the
Scripture be to be believed for itself, yet it is not ordinarily
to be believed by itself, without the help of other means.

4. On these suppositions I fear not to affirm that there
are on every individual book of the Scripture, particularly those
named, those divine characters and criteria which are sufficient
to difference them from all other writings whatever, and to testify their
divine authority unto the minds and consciences of believers. I say of
believers, for we inquire not on what ground unbelievers, or those
who do not believe, do believe the word of God, nor yet directly on what
outward motives such persons may be induced so to do; but our sole inquiry
at present is, what the faith of them who do believe is resolved
into. It is not, therefore, said that when our Lord Jesus Christ (for we
acknowledge that there is the same reason of the first giving out of divine
revelations as is of the Scripture) came and preached unto the Jews, that
these mere words, “I am the light of the world,” or the like, had all this
evidence in them or with them; for nothing he said of that kind may be
separated from its circumstances. But supposing the testimonies given in
the Scripture beforehand to his person, work, time, and manner of coming,
with the evidence of the presence of God with him in the declaration that
he made of his doctrine and himself to be the Messiah, the Jews were bound
to believe what he taught, and himself to be the Son of God, 108the Saviour of the world; and so did many of them upon his
preaching only, John iv.
42, [viii.
30.] And in like manner they were bound to believe the doctrine
of John Baptist, and to submit unto his institutions, although he wrought
no miracle; and those who did not rejected the counsel of God for their
good, and perished in their unbelief. But although our Lord Jesus Christ
wrought no miracles to prove the Scripture then extant to be the word of
God, seeing he wrought them among such only as by whom that was firmly
believed, yet the wisdom of God saw it necessary to confirm his personal
ministry by them. And without a sense of the power and efficacy of the
divine truth of the doctrine proposed, miracles themselves will be
despised; so they were by some who were afterward converted by the
preaching of the word, Acts ii.
13: or they will produce only a false faith, or a ravished
assent upon an amazement, that will not abide, Acts iii. 7,
8, viii. 13, 21.